Accurate Representation Matters: Raya and the Last Dragon
By Genrich Criste | March 10, 2021
Dragons. Magic. Monsters. A Warrior Princess. These are the main elements in Disney’s latest animated film, Raya and the Last Dragon. And while it is a good family movie to watch, or if you’re a 22-year old like me who still loves watching animated movies to escape the realities of this thing called life, there is only one issue that this movie has and it is not having accurate representation. (BTW there won’t be any spoilers cause I’m not messy like that)
Raya and the Last Dragon was co-written by Vietnamese-American screenwriter Qui Nguyen and Malaysian screenwriter Adele Lim, both of which were also known for co-writing Crazy Rich Asians. The film itself was influenced by a mixture of Southeast Asian cultures and was supposed to be a monumental moment for Southeast Asian representation, but this movie missed the mark with its cast. The cast, which features several big names in Hollywood such as Awkwafina, Gemma Chan and Sanda Oh, just to name a few- are mostly East Asian. While the cast does have some Southeast Asian representation, with the main character Raya (voiced by Kelly Marie Tran), and other supporting characters in the movie, they fail to consider the fact that we just want an accurate representation of the cultures that they are telling a story about.
It’s easy to understand that including big names on a cast would increase the credibility and marketability of a film. But at the same time, Disney is such a powerful force in the entertainment industry that it doesn’t really need to have big-name stars to promote a successful movie. The most important part of a movie is its storyline, not the people who voice the characters. Sure, you can say that these characters can bring the movie to life, but there are lots of capable voice actors who can do that job perfectly. Disney should have done more in making sure that this movie had its fair share of Southeast Asian representation by including lesser-known talent that would’ve been able to shine and show off their abilities, while still retaining this sense of representation that we can be able to identify with.
In the end, it all boils down to two things: representation and identity. Since animated movies generally attract younger viewers, it’s important for children to see an authentic representation of their identities on the screen. Growing up, I found it hard to be able to identify with any of the characters that I grew up watching on Disney Channel, as they were mostly white with a few additions of POC as the supporting characters. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand that children need these representations in the media to support their sense of identity as they grow older and learn more about the world around them.
Bio:
Genrich Criste is currently a 4th year Journalism student with an emphasis in Public Relations, along with a minor in Interactive Marketing. He is set to graduate from CSUN in December 2021 and he hopes to become a public relations specialist in the fashion, entertainment, or video game industry.
Photo thumbnail credit: Aussie Disney Girl on Youtube